Variable transmission



March 22, 1949. A F, ALEXANDER VARIABLE TRANSMISSION March 22, 1949- A. F. ALEXANDER VARIABLE TRANSMISSION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Marh 15, 1944 Im UHU R. E 5% w a@ N H E HHM@ ma. R f m m W W H W., 4M TW@ uw.

Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES'PATENT OFFICE VARIABLE TRANSMISSION Arthur F. Alexander, Cleveland, Ohio Application March 15, 1944, Serial No. 526,508

2 claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in variable transmissions, more particularly variable speed belt drives. 1t has to do with expansible split V pulleys and means for adjusting them to obtain varying speed ratios.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of drives of the character stated which shall be readily adaptable for assembly upon the housings of electric motors, whereby a complete variable speed power assembly may be manufactured and sold ready for installation as a unit.

Another object of the invention is the provision of variable speed transmissions of the character stated which shall be susceptible of a multiplicity of different speeds.

Another object is the provision of a transmission of the character stated in which speed changes may be effected during the operation of the transmission.

Other objects and featuresv of novelty will appear as I proceed with the description of those embodiments of the invention which, for the purposes oi the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view through a motor and transmission unit embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end View of the same.

Fig, 3 is a detail sectional View taken substantialiy on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 showing the parts on a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal, vertical, sectional view showing a modified arrangement of input and output shafts with their associated pulleys, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. ll.

Referring first to Figs. l, 2 and 3: II! represents a motor housing enlarged to provide in one end thereof a cavity 5I for the reception of certain parts of a variable speed belt drive. The housing includes further an integral upwardly projecting standard I2 for the support of a countershaft, later to be described.

i3 is a power shaft which is mounted in antifriction bearings I4 and i5 carried in the ends of the housing. This shaft has a portion I6 projecting from one end of the housing and provding convenient means for delivering power from the unit in substantially the same relative location as would be alorded by a conventional electric motor.

Surrounding the shaft I3 there is a sleeve or the shaft `I 3 through the ntermediacy of suitable (Cl. 'Z4-230.17)

bearings, such asthe needle bearings I8 and l'9 herein illustrated. Hollow shaft I'I carries the rotor 29 of the motor which turns Within the motor stator El. For the sake of simplicity in illustration these latter parts are merely indicated as to position and the electric connections are omitted.

The hollow shaft I'I carries an expansible split V pulley comprising a section 2,2 which may be integral with the hollow shaft and a section 22 which is slidably keyed to the hollow shaft, so that the sections 22, 22' rotate together and are relatively slidable axially of the sleeve. 23 and 23' are sections of another expansible split V pulley carried directly by the shaft I3, the section 23 being pinned to the shaft as shown, while the section 23' is slidably keyed to the shaft for movement toward or away from the section 23.

Sections 22 and 23 are relatively rotatable, but they are secured together in so far as axial movement is concerned, that is to say, the inner race of an anti-friction bearing .24 is pressed on to the hub of section 22', and the outer race of the same bearing is held within a circular cavity on one side of section 23 by set screws 25 or the like. Hollow shaft II carrying pulley 22, 22' constitutes the input shaft of the transmission and shaft I3, I6 carrying pulley 23, 23' constitutes the output shaft of the unit.

Standard I'2 has a hole therethrough within which the reduced right hand portion of a hollow spindle 28 dts snugly. Any suitable means may be provided for adjusting the hollow spindle 26 toward and away from shaft I3 and sleeve I'I in order to regulate belt tension. The right hand end of this spindle 26 is threaded and receives a nut 2l which is screwed tightly against a surface of standard t2, bringing the shoulder between the main and the reduced portions of the spindle up against the opposite surface of the standard thereby rigidly attaching the spindle to the standard. A bronze bushing 28 is mounted to turn freely upon the spindle 26, and a sleeve 29 surrounds bushing 28 and turns with it, as will presently appear.

A stem 39 ts within hollow spindle 2t, being shiftable axiallyr of the spindle but held against rotation by a pin 3| which projects from the spindle into a longitudinal groove 32 in the stem. Longitudinal movement of stem 30 is employed to eiect changes in speed ratios. Any suitable means may be employed to produce such longitudinal movement. prises a left hand thread upon the exposed eX- tremity of stem 30 and a compound nut 33 having The illustrated means comportions threadably engaging both the right hand thread on the spindle 26 and the left hand thread on the stem 39. Nut 33 may be formed as an integral part of hand Wheel 34 which, when turned in one direction or the other, will move the stem toward the right or the left as may be desired.

The inner race of an anti-friction bearing 35 is clamped between a collar 36 on the stem and a nut 31. The outer race of this bearing is clamped between a cap 38 and an end flange 39 on sleeve 29. Cap 38 is threaded onto the hub of one section 4|] of an expansible split V pulley which is recessed to receive flange 39. When cap 33 is screwed down tightly therefore it locks pulley section 49 to sleeve 29. At the opposite end of that sleeve the hub of one section 4| of another expansible split V pulley is secured to the sleeve 29 by a set screw 42. Hence, these pulley sections 49 and 4| are locked together against relative rotation and relative axial movement.

An intermediate pulley element 43 embodies pulley sections 4D' and 4|', cooperating with sections and 4I respectively. Element 43 rotates with sections 46 and 4I but cannot move axially as can those sections. Three segments 44 are disposed at 120 intervals in an annular recess of bushing 28. The element 43 is pressed onto these segments which thereby constitute securing means between the bushing and the pulley element. A set screw 45 may be employed as additional means for locking the pulley element to one of the segments 44. Element 43 thus rotates with the bushing and is locked against movement axially thereof. Segments 44 extend through slots 46 in the sleeve 29. Hence, the latter sleeve is free to move axially with respect to these segments. A V belt 48 runs over pulley 22, 22 and pulley 4|, 4I. Another V belt 49 runs over pulley 23, 23 and pulley 40, 40'.

Regarding the operation of the invention as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 it will be apparent that while the motor is running the operator may turn wheel 34 to cause stem 36 to move from the illustrated position toward the left. This will cause pulley sections 4| to approach pulley section 4| and at the same time will cause pulley section 40 to move away from pulley section 40'. The effective diameter of pulley 4 I, 4 I will thereby be increased, and the eiective diameter of pulley 49, 40' will be correspondingly decreased. When this occurs camming force will be exerted by belt 48 tending to separate pulley sections 22, 22', and this force will be communicated through the bearing 24 to pulley section 23 tending to move it toward pulley section 23. This latter effect will not be opposed by belt 49 because the opening of pulley 4B, 40 will provide an increased portion of the length of belt 49 for travel around the increased diameter of pulley 23, 23'.

With the pulley proportions illustrated herein there will be a material reduction in speed as between hollow input shaft |1 and output shaft I3, I6 in all positions of the control mechanism but as the stem 30 is drawn toward the right speed reductions will be varied gradually through an innite number of ratios until pulley sections 4| 4|' and 23, 23' come together. Obviously the speeds of output shaft I3, I6 may be made higher than those of the hollow input shaft by changing the relative dimensions of the pulleys, and if desired, variations both upwardly and downwardly from motor speed may be obtained if the pulley dimensions are made all alike or substantially so. V`In every instance pulley 22, 22' should `be of the same dimensions as pulley 40, 4D', and similarly the dimensions of pulley 23, 23' and 4|, 4| should be the same, that is, in order that the belts 48, 49 may remain taut throughout the range of adjustments.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated a slightly modied form of shaft and pulley arrangement for the input and output parts of the unit. In principle and operation it is like the first form. The rotor 20 of the motoi` is mounted directly upon the input shaft 5D which is carried at one end in an anti-friction bearing 5| in the motor housing 52. The opposite end of shaft 50 is secured to the inner race of an anti-friction bearing 53, the outer race of which is clamped between a spider 54 and one section 55 of an expansible split V pulley. Spider 54 is carried at the inner end of an output shaft 56, which is mounted in an anti-friction bearing 51 carried by the housing in alignment with bearing 5|. The aligned shafts 50 and 56 are therefore independently rotatable.

A section 58 of an expansible split V pulley has its hub pinned to shaft 50. The other section 58 of this pulley has a long hub 59 which is slidably keyed to shaft 50. This hub 59 is mounted to slide within the inner race of an anti-friction bearing 60, a sleeve 6| being preferably interposed between the bearing and the hub 59 and slidably keyed to the latter. 'I'he outer race of this bearing is mounted in an internal wall 62 of the housing. Bearing 60 forms the principal support for the left end of shaft 50, while through bearing 53 the two shafts 59 and 56 help to 4 mutually steady and support each other.

The left end of hub 59 carries the inner race of an anti-friction bearing 63, the outer race of which is pressed into a recess in pulley section Bearing 63 locks pulley sections 55' and 58 together against relative axial movement while permitting them to rotate independently of each other, just as in the case of pulley sections 22 and 23' previously described. A V belt 64 runs over pulley 58, 58 and a V belt 65 runs over pulley 55, 55', it being understood that these belts cooperate with expansible split V pulleys on a countershaft, not shown, in the same manner as illustrated at Fig. l. In order that there may be no relative motion between pulley sections 55 and 55' I provide a plurality of pins 65 evenly spaced and slidable in one or the other or both of the sections. Thus I provide drive from section 55 to section 55 in all conditions of adjustment of these sections. I'he method of operation of this form of the invention may be identical with that of Figs. 1 to 3.

I claim:

1. In mechanism of the character described, a housing, a. motor rotor therein, a set of two independently rotatable input and output split V pulleys coaxial with said rotor, having bearing upon said housing, the adjacent sections of the said pulleys being locked together for axial movement, a countershaft, a support therefor rigid with respect to sai-d housing, a set of two split V pulleys on said countershaft, a sleeve surrounding said countershaft extending axially through the inner pulley sections on said shaft and connecting together the outer sections on said shaft for conjoint axial and rotational movement, V belts running over the corresponding pulleys of the two sets, and manually operable means extending through said sleeve for axially moving said sleeve on said countershaft independently of the inner pulley sections ,on that shaft.

2. In mechanism of the character described, a motor, a rotor therefor, a set of two independent- 1y rotatable input and output split V pulleys coaxial with said rotor, the adjacent sections of said pulleys being locked together for conjoint axial movement, a countershaft comprising a hollow spindle, a support for one end thereof, `a set of tWo split V pulleys rotatable together upon said countershaft, means for connecting together the outer sections of said countershaft pulleys for conjoint axial movement independently of the inner sections of those pulleys, V belts running over the corresponding pulleys of the two sets, an operating rod extending through said hollow spindle and connected with the pulley section at the free end of said spindle, and manual means at the supported end of said spindle for moving said rod longitudinally in either direction.

ARTHUR F. ALEXANDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

